The Nitro Wildcats will face off against the Lewis County Minutemen at 7:15 a.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Nitro is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They took their contest with ease, bagging a 54-26 win over Chapmanville Regional. The victory was nothing new for the Wildcats as they're now sitting on three straight.
Natalie Smith
| 03/06/25 vs Chapmanville Regional | 60% |
| 02/27/25 @ St. Albans | 60% |
| 02/26/25 @ Hoover | 83% |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Nitro to victory, but perhaps none more so than Natalie Smith, who went 6-for-10 en route to 14 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals. Smith is also on a roll when it comes to shooting accuracy, as she's posted one of at least 60% in the last three games she's played. Mika Adams was another key player, shooting 50% from the field to rack up 14 points along with five boards and three steals.
Nitro smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Lewis County came tearing into Thursday's match with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 39.5 points), and they left with even more momentum. They put the hurt on the Trojans with a sharp 63-39 win.
Nitro better keep an eye on Payten Goodwin. She was instrumental in Lewis County's win, going 5-for-7 on her way to 13 points and seven steals. They are 13-2 when Goodwin posts three or more steals, but 2-6 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Adaleigh Curry, who shot 43% from the field en route to 13 points and eight rebounds.
Lewis County pushed their record up to 15-8 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.3 points over those games. As for Nitro, their win bumped their record up to 19-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Nitro has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 31.8 boards per game. However, it's not like Lewis County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.9 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Nitro beat Lewis County 47-39 in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Lewis County's Ella Pinkney, who went 5-for-10 to rack up 16 points in addition to seven boards and five assists. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Nitro still be able to contain Pinkney? There's only one way to find out.
